seventeen years (is a long time to fall in love)
by hel lokidottir
Summary: It's sweet and bitter and something out of those old romance novels at the back of her shelves, where they're just two people lost in a city filled with faces and sounds. kendallkoda (feat. pre-power rangers, maybe or maybe not canon compliant? I dunno? probs not tho, prodigy kendall, chasekendall, it started out with a ship how did it end up like this) oneshot


—

 **a/n: i had tried to stick them as close to their personalities as possible. be the verdict. (be kind, please) also, much grammatical errors, confusing monologues, backstory lots lots lots, antsy crap and so much confusing i kennat evn**

—

She's six when she meets him, twin pigtails bouncing at the back of her head and purple frilly dresses swishing softly above her dirtied knees. Her Father had picked her up from the playground with the yellow flowers that glowed like gold and the swings that creaked too loudly to be safe earlier that afternoon. "A scientific breakthrough," he had told her, his smile bright and wide, and she could only stare in wonder and curiosity at him.

The lab is large (—it had been larger then—), with more equipment and instruments than she could count (—and she could count much more than an average person could—), funded by several politicians and local businessmen that wanted to share with the institution's fame. Father is the Head, a position passed down by Grandfather, and she knows it would soon be her responsibility too.

"The pride and joy of the family," he loves whispering after tucking her in to bed, "to be run by _the_ pride and joy of the family." (Now that she thinks about it, it is a very terrifying thought to always sleep to.)

They both stop in front of a metal door painted white, pristine and immaculate, with a friendly security guard positioned several feet away. She waves her hand, and he waves his in reply, eyes shimmering with amusement. Father only laughs under his breath.

"Now, stay quiet, alright? I don't think he would like it if we're loud," he cautions her as he locks the door behind them. She feels silly watching him tiptoe around the room as if he is some kind of secret agent, but she swallows her giggles and did the same. It's ridiculous: her heels clicking noisily behind her, Father's shirt over his face like a ninja, and their faces twisted in funny pouts and angles. She presses her back against the wall—it's cold, even with the thick fabric of her cardigan—when she sees _him_.

He stands silently at the corner, head cocked to the side and eyes blinking. "Hello." She is a nervous mess, fingers twitching and body frozen to the spot near the desk. Her Father looks from across the room, relaxed and encouraging. "Father didn't tell me we have a visitor."

His hair is long, curling at his collar bone. It is wild and obviously uncombed. She wonders if he would let her braid it. "My name is Kendall, what's yours?"

—

She is told that he is an uncle from far away, but she knows better.

—

She's seven when Father explains about the strange man—a _caveman_ —and, she's eight when he finally tells him his name, a stuttered "K—K … Kouda-ah." It's a sunny day, and they're lounging outside, laying on the grass as she tells him what she sees in the shapes of the clouds in the sky.

"Koda? I don't think that's an animal." She grins, and eyes the short side-ponytail she had tied his hair into. "Maybe a koala? Or, a cobra? But, I don't think there's a cob—"

He takes her hand, and places it on his chest. It's an awkward scene, but she manages to roll on her side to make it a bit more bearable. "Kouda-ah." And, he repeats until her eyebrows soften and her lips move on their own accord:

"Hello, Koda."

—

Nine—and, she starts wearing glasses. Her eyesight isn't all that bad, but her ophthalmologist has recommended to use protective eyewear to stave off the frequent cases of headache she has been experiencing lately. The frame is a little too wide and it slides off her nose a lot, but the colour is adorable and she's excited to let Koda see.

Of course, it is to be expected that a strange man would react in an equally strange way. "Stop tapping on it, Koda!" She scolds, delicately taking it back to wipe the lenses. Her mouth is quirked up at the sides, but she refrains from grinning at his naïveté. Father says she's smiling more in Koda's presence than in his, and he is jealous—or, so he jests.

Well, Koda is a rather interesting fellow, and she had sworn to teach him everything he needs to know about the world. That is, if she can stop playing for a few hours to actually teach him how to speak in English.

Until then, it is skates and tag and yanking him to her favourite playground with the yellow flowers that glowed like gold and the swings that creak too loudly to be safe.

—

Father takes her to a conference at ten years old, and she's no-nonsense and frank. She answers when spoken to, and argues pointedly at discussions that slide too far away from truth and knowledge. She apologizes at hasty words and listens to other's say. She is a scientist, a seeker of facts, and her Father's daughter.

Which is why more than a few heads have turned in interest when she abruptly shuts away at an offhanded remark concerning the evolution of man. "It is not in my line of expertise, sir."

Koda is not a _mindless barbarian_ , thank you very much!

Her Father guffaws when the assembly ended. They are both seated in the car, with her at the back seat, clutching the throw pillow and trying not to look insulted. "Come on, honey, Doctor Martin didn't know what he was talking about. I assure you, Koda is nowhere near brainless," he tells her, but she huffs and crosses her arms.

"I don't like him anyway," she whines, because she really doesn't like him. Her Father just smiles at her gently.

"No one is forcing you to, hun." And, really, who cares about his reputation and business relationship with the doctor when his daughter had only spoken the thoughts in her mind?

—

She is eleven when she asks Koda if he believes in a god—not that he understands her that much. They're still far from achieving a semblance of a phrase, but at least he can say his name right now. Her name … well, that's another story.

"My Father doesn't," she continues, because that's how most of their conversations go, with her talking endlessly and him listening intently. "But, my Mother does—or, that's what he used to say. She believed in God, and that's why he had fallen in love with her. She was passionate and bold and crazy about something she stood up for, with a head filled with so much and a heart filled with much, _much_ more.

"I know there's so many wrongs and contradictions in beliefs. I am not religious, I barely know what to say in a prayer, but I can't help but think that … that we are so much more than just by … chance?" Her hands pull at her skirts, teeth biting her tongue. "People say I am my Father's daughter, but I'm also my Mother's. Is … is that alright?"

"Candle," Koda spits out with less grace than he had intended, or so she assumes from the frown on his face. "Candle. Okay." Nodding, he takes her hand in his—it's small against the wide expanse of his palms—and, places it on her chest. She feels the slight pulse of her heart. "Candle … is Candle."

"Yeah," she breathes. "Kendall is Kendall."

—

Her high school graduation occurs a few months after she turned twelve, the shortest of the bunch with pretty coiled hair and top honours. Her medals hang low on her neck, and she gives an indiscernible roll of her shoulders to shift the weight. Cameras flash at the distance as she leans against the podium. She is relaxed, and she fingers the edge of her script she has memorized weeks before.

"'Knowledge is power'," she starts, and she ignores the audience's blinks and stares. "And, that is true. Or, so it is until you're forced to face reality, and reality is much more than numbers and questions on a sheet of paper, to be answered and to be graded.

"I am not a very smart person—I am twelve years old; a couple of years lacking than my whole class. I know how to solve equations and state the Table of Elements backwards. I am multilingual, and I can play several musical instruments. But, I don't know how to cook. I don't know how to sew. I don't know how to take care of a garden. I don't know how to do things that many would know how to.

"And, for that I am not a very smart person."

She clears her throat, and cracks a shaking grin. (When did she start getting nervous?) "Of course, I did not come here to let you hear my sob story."

"But, I am here to tell you that there is no such thing as a smart person—we're young and inexperienced, and even after years or decades, there will always be something we will be young and inexperienced to. However, there are hard-workers, diligent pursuers of knowledge, those who perceiver and those why try.

"And, I think—no, I _believe_ that they truly are closer to real knowledge and real wisdom than they could ever think."

Koda erupts into a thundering applause, and, this time, when she laughs into the microphone, it is genuine.

The speech ends after another ten minutes.

—

Kendall is thirteen, and she's quite disappointed at how anticlimactic turning into a bona fide teenager had been.

Then, she starts bleeding in the third week of April, and, "Koda, no! Stop calling 911!" Why did she ever tell him to call an ambulance at the tiniest sign of blood? She trips on her slippers, and she hisses. "Koda!"

"Help! Kendall has blood! Kendall has blood!"

"For cheese's sake," she mumbles as she collects the stained sheets in dismay. "Koda, get your butt back here!"

"Help! Kendall has blood!"

Her Father laughs, and she is not amused. "Dad! Help me!" She wishes she never complained about the dull, boring start of her adolescence.

—

At fourteen, she knows what she wanted to become, and she closes the door of her Father's office, states: "A historian."

"Ah." He pauses, the gentle curve of his mouth falling into a stiffer one, and she knows he's grasping for words to use in reply. She helps him,

"Harvard."

"Ah." Father doesn't cry—no. He only locks himself into his bedroom at night, and wishes his daughter hasn't grown up so quickly. "Of course."

At fourteen, she leaves for tall pillars and buildings somewhere in Cambridge, leaving Father with a promises of a soon return and Koda, a chaste peck on the cheek, because why not? He gives her joyful grin and a thumbs up.

"Burger will be made when Kendall comes back." Koda isn't the greatest cook, but _he cooks_ , and she knows she'll look forward to the feast.

"Okay."

At fourteen, Father dies at a car accident and she returns home.

—

("I'm fine," she lies through her teeth. "I'm fine." The smell of fried food leaves her sick, and she pushes the plate away. "I'm fine, Koda.")

—

Fifteen years old, and really, it's a blur of books and pages and notes and "I'm sorry, Koda. I have to finish this research first—maybe next time." And, by the time she had been given a short time to withdraw from her studies, she finds the playground with the yellow flowers that glowed like gold and the swings that creaked too loudly to be safe gone. She chokes: "when?"

"Long time, Kendall. Long time."

—

Lawyers call her on about her Father's will and testament as soon as she turns sixteen, and she doesn't know how many times that has happened since the funeral, but she is courteous and so she answers with a meeting on the day after tomorrow.

The day after tomorrow comes quickly, and she finds that she is set to inherit the Laboratory after several years, in a reasonable age and with reasonable experience—she gives the position to her Father's vice president instead. "I don't think I could handle the responsibility after all." ( _The pride and joy of the family to be run by_ the _pride and joy of the family—_ no more _._ ) "However, I would like to ask if I could have the smaller branch in South Amber Beach instead."

"You mean the Museum?" ( _A historian._ )

"Yes." ( _Okay._ )

—

Sixteen—she finishes her Ph. D in Palaeontology. Seventeen—she is beside her Father's vice president as he cuts the red ribbon tied in front of the Museum, and she plays the part of a good and proper lady well when he smiles amicably and delivers a speech to the crowds of reporters, journalists and other important faces.

"Sir! There seems to be a cafeteria located near the dome. Can you tell more about it?"

"The _Dino Bite Café_ , as a friend of mine has suggested, is a project that shall span a year's time. A … test-drive, if you would. It is to see if the Museum could stand on its own funding."

"Is there anything you would recommend for all of us to try?"

A sly wink, and she purses her lips to stop herself from laughing. "A recommendation? Bronto Burgers."

—

The project is a success, and she is eighteen years old when she has complete ownership of the Museum (—there were papers and lawyers and meetings with the Main branch and defending that she _could handle it, dammit, take me seriously_ ; she won, and she's proud and she is _the pride and joy of the family_ once more—) and hires Chase Randall, the hotshot New Zealander who skateboards too much for his own good and who had knocked on the Museum doors late at night, begging her to take him in as a potential worker. "Kendall—"

"It's Miss Morgan," she corrects him, and it's a long time since anyone has said her given name so casually. It's unprofessional, and _really._ How many times has she already corrected him?

"—you dating anyone?"

"Do you want me to fire you?"

He's wiping on tables in the next few seconds, and she sighs. Chase Randall, the hotshot New Zealander who skateboards too much for his own good, deserves someone innocent and happy and kind—all that she once was—all that she _isn't._

Romance is too overrated anyway, and she doesn't really have time for such immature matters.

—

She's still eighteen when that perspective is broken by yellow flowers that glowed like gold shoved at her face and a silly abashed grin and Koda saying, "Kendall needs rest." _God_ , it's such a small gesture—is that all it takes to fall in love with a person?

… No. Such a small gesture is not enough to make someone fall in love with another, at least, that much she knows.

"Hey, Koda." They're resting somewhere outside, laying in the grass like they once did so many years ago, with her looking at the lazy clouds up ahead and him humming contently as he listens. "I like you."

"Koda likes Kendall, too."

It hurts much more than she had anticipated, because he doesn't understand what she's trying to tell him and she knows he doesn't know. So, she rolls on her side and looks at him, whispering, "I like you _very much_."

And, he whispers back, eyes drawn in sad lines and tugs. "Koda knows."

—

Eighteen—and, she agrees to one date with Chase Randall, because he is insufferable and unrelenting and she is annoyed—and, "okay, so I get that you don't want this to mean anything, so it's going to be a friendly hangin' out instead; don't worry, Miss Morgan."

She's worrying, but at least, he has her name right.

The 'hangin' out' is fun, and _oh right_ —she is eighteen and legal, and she is offered alcoholic drinks after a slow stroll in a park (—it doesn't have yellow flowers that glowed like gold nor swings that creaked too loudly to be safe—). She is curious and wondering, and so she takes the glass and downs it.

Eighteen—and, she kisses Chase Randall, because kisses are normal and Chase Randall is attractive and she wants to be eighteen for once.

They don't talk about what happened, but Koda asks how it had gone, and she answers him truthfully, "it was fun, but I was glad nothing had happened after."

(Koda doesn't understand—she hopes Koda doesn't understand.)

—

She realizes that she doesn't know him as much as she thought she had, and she asks him about his past. "Stone in necklace," he starts, but she can see that he's struggling. She stops him after, "Stone in necklace gives Koda strength and life."

"Stop, Koda. It's fine," and she touches his forehead. "It's fine."

Of course, it's not. Nothing is fine, and he looks at her like a lost child, and her heart stops. "Kendall's fingers are like ice. Koda … Koda is afraid of ice."

—

Alive, well and nineteen is such a lie, but she is just that when Chase asks her on another 'hangin' out'. She turns him down with a curt "no", before turning away to check on the new shipment of _Avimimus_ footprint and hard amber fossils.

That had been at early morning, and now she's downing rum and gin at four in the afternoon, regretting every second she's at the bar with the smiling New Zealander. Ugh. _Dear Lord._ "I'm going to fire you after this."

"No, you aren't," he sings, laughing, and she really wants to punch him in his perfect teeth. "You love me too much." His breath is heavy, and she rolls her eyes lazily, her vision fogging the slightest.

"No, though maybe I could," she yawns honestly as she pushes the bottle of alcohol away. "But …"

"But?"

One look at him, and she snorts, relenting, "You're not … simple (—I said _simple_ , not simple-minded—). You're not true to yourself—you always have to hide beneath something else first. You're not wondering and you don't try hard enough, because you think you've done it all." And, really, she could have stopped there, but one look at his knowing eyes and, well—she kind of broke.

"You're not him." She looks at his lips, and swallows. "Why can't you be him?"

—

(This time, when Koda asks her how her day had gone, she tells him nothing but lies. "People came and mistook the _Triceratops_ for something else again," when in reality, it had been mouths and hands and regret and _why can't you be him?_ "Kendall's day must have been tiring then," and, is that the signboard that says _the Museum is closed?_ )

("You're a great liar.")

("Koda knows.")

—

—

She's not sure what happened, but she's twenty and dragging an unconscious alien to her doorsteps, and "Chase, stop being melodramatic—it's just a _suit_." So, yeah.

Koda's reaction to the sudden appearance of strangers is justifiable, and if she weren't so tired and mentally shocked, she would have threatened to knock them over with a piece of an antique warhammer—

"Koda, no! Put that down, for God's sake!" Her blood is pumping adrenaline, and she tries not to think of the hundred thousand dollar object in a fidgeting caveman's hand. "K—Koda, _Koda_ , they're friends."

"Friends?"

"Yeah … yeah." And, so she explains how she's managed to meet the Keeper somewhere along paleontological explorations in nearby sand dunes months before, letting him live in the basement under the Museum, and how she had been roped into aiding him to find the individual unfortunate enough to gain this said Energem. "It was so suspicious, and I was foolish. I know. Well—at least, I wasn't the unfortunate individual."

Chase is still picking on the ridiculous costume. She doesn't know whether to take pity on the man or roll her eyes at his antics. _Of course he'll take an odd trinket from an equally odd person without batting an eye._

"This is Chase," she tell Koda, and he tilts his head to the side, a pensive look on his face. It's not unusual of him to have that expression, but it still baffles her whenever he puts it on. "The worker I've told you about, and apparently, he's also the one bonded with the Black Energem."

Koda freezes up, but maybe that's just a trick of her eye.

"Koda," he introduces himself. "Kendall's friend."

—

"So, I'm guessing that you know?"

"Of course I know that you know he's the person I talked about. You're not that hard to figure out."

"Yeah?"

"You've been staring at him and me for an hour."

"But, why him though?"

"Chase, how many male friends do you think I have, and how many of them do you think I have the time to interact with?"

"Umm … me?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Mr Randall, your attempts at portraying Romeo is failing. We've already established that neither of our feelings are mutual anyway."

"Ah. Yeah—yeah."

"… I'm sorry. That was out of line."

—

("I'll play Cupid, then. Y'know. So, at least one of us could be happy or somethin'.")

—

"That one is kind and loyal—able to protect his loved one."

"Yes."

"It also seems that he possesses the Blue Energem."

"…"

"Dr Kendall?"

"Well, that would explain a lot of things."

"You do not seem as surprised as when we found the Black Power Ranger to be Mr Chase Randall."

"I have known Koda for almost all my life."

"And, what have you come to know?"

"That he is … he is … Koda."

—

("He's hurt himself because of that. I know. And, the Blue Energem would be defective not to acknowledge his worth.")

—

Kendall, twenty-one years old, wraps Koda's fingers—bloody and bruised from a fight against who-knows-what—in bandages. Her handiwork is gentle and neat, and she grits her teeth when her abdomen aches from the punches and kicks she has failed to defend against.

"Kendall is hurt?" he asks in concern, genuine and true and _it hurts,_ and she shakes her head. The sleeve of his costume is tattered, but that's alright. The science behind the Energems and the transformations is complex—even going as far as mending what has been torn.

She looks down and winces.

Except skin.

"It stings a little, though I'm not that overly worried about it," she tells him as she scans their surroundings. "I'm more troubled about Sledge, and if he comes back soon."

Chase is there by the tree, staring into the distance, while cradling his arm. The Keeper is beside him.

"I don't think we can hold on much longer."

"Yes. Koda agrees."

—

Somewhere between July and August, she finds that she loves him (—the caveman, out of his time, _Koda_ —), and she nicks her thumb with a knife—and, yeah. Having sudden realizations while peeling an apple is not recommended.

—

Shelby Watkins, Tyler Navarro and Riley Griffin come into their life later that year, and she could feel herself breathe a sigh of relief.

—

"I told him," Chase tells her when they're alone in the basement-turned-laboratory. She's in the middle of upgrading their _morphers_. There are long shadows under her eyes, and she hasn't eaten yet (—she'd rather work all week than let any of them die—), and she is startled out of her computational mumbling when he passes her a plate. She's not sure what it is, but she takes it anyway.

"It's hot." Kendall knows he didn't hear her, because he continues:

"That he has to take you on a date."

It registers in her mind slowly, and whatever it is she is eating turns stale on her tongue. "That's not something for you to just decide and do."

"Just give it a chance, Miss Morgan. I promised I'll be Cupid, remember?"

—

Twenty-two years, four months, eleven days.

She is twenty-two when that had happened …

—

… and, she is twenty-two years old when he smiles at her in that same broken smile with eyes drawn in sad lines and tugs he's given her several years ago. Her heart still breaks, but this time, she doesn't try to pick the pieces up. Instead, she takes his outstretched hand and notes at the wide expanse of his palms. It's bigger than hers— _warmer_. Or, maybe that's because she has cold fingers?

They walk along the streets of the city with nowhere particular in mind, and they talk. She realizes that they don't do that often anymore, and apologies spill out of her mouth before she can stop it. Koda gives her a gentle grin, before guiding her into the corner.

Her feet knows this pathway—who can forget a park with such yellow flowers that glowed like gold and with such swings that creaked too loudly to be safe earlier that afternoon? It's a wasteland now—trees uprooted, playground sets removed, flowering bushes burned and stone-paths moved aside to become a place for construction materials and vehicles.

It's not the most romantic place, but romance is overrated, and she couldn't find it in herself to think of anywhere else to go.

—

"I love you."

"Koda knows."

It really, _really_ is selfish and wrong for her to act so impulsively, but she grips his hand; a tight, small sign of desperate yearning. Koda pulls her in his embrace. It's sweet and bitter and something out of those old romance novels at the back of her shelves, where they're just two people lost in a city filled with faces and sounds, and where memories fade as War and Grave looms close to their heads.

—

The first one to die is Chase Randall, the hotshot New Zealander who skateboards too much for his own good and flirts too much to be healthy and who had given her a teasing wink only hours before, and she collapses on her knees because _he shouldn't have died._

Riley tells her that he had been smiling (—she doesn't ask him how he had known Chase was smiling—) when the plasma beam had hit him square in the chest. She could actually imagine him, and she laughs as she swears to punching him in his perfect teeth once this is all over.

—

Next is Shelby, the young enthusiast in bright pink colours, and Kendall couldn't bear to look at Tyler's face, flushed red with tears and sweat. He had thrown his helmet away, and she wants to vomit what little is in her stomach when she hears him say, "it was supposed to be for me—it was my fault— _he was aiming at me_."

She does vomit, and she feels so much worse.

—

Keeper tells her that there's a way to reverse time, and she readily agrees to do what is needed because " _I can't take this anymore_ ". She could save them— _she could save them!_

And, she will save them.

—

Kendall Morgan is twenty-three years old, standing in front of her laboratory with the few Energems left placed in front of her, and she stares at deep brown eyes from across the room. "Are you ready, Dr Morgan?"

She isn't. "I am."

The pain that travels through her veins doesn't distract her from the sound of her name being yelled out of his mouth.

—

( _Time travelling is possible, and as you well know, altering the past could change the future. However, due to a few factors, such as the lack of Energems, there is only a certain speck in time in which we could go back to._ )

( _When_ _?_ )

( _Three decades._ )

( _That is enough.)_

( _Be warned. The future may change for the better—or for worse._ )

( _I am their Manager. I have responsibility over my employee's lives, and if there's a sliver of chance I could save them, I'll risk it._ )

( _Then, until next time Mary Anning.*_ ) **

—

…

—

The Science Laboratory of Central Amber elects Dr Morgan as the Head of the Institution, like his father and his father before him and so on. His wife is beside him, cradling their daughter in her arms. The cameras flash.

—

…

—

Sarai Morgan dies of pneumonia. Kendall Morgan is two.

—

…

—

Newspapers print: _Geniuses Debate Ends in Split, "Earlier this year, President and Lead Scientist … Dr Wes Morgan and the Vice President … caused quite a stir after their heated argument about … thus, making the expedition in finding the rumoured frozen caveman to be cancelled._

—

…

—

"A historian."

"Okay."

"Harvard."

"Okay."

—

…

—

Wes Morgan dies at a car accident. Kendall Morgan is eighteen.

—

…

—

The Institution is not passed down to her, and she is grateful—if not uncaring. The position is given to her Father's Vice President.

—

…

—

She shows much more than promise or potential at paleontological expeditions—she had uncovered eleven bones of a _Plesiosaur_ at her first excavation in three different sites. She has a gift.

—

…

—

She manages the newly built Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum at the age of twenty-two, and she hires hotshot New Zealander Chase Randall because, although he skateboards too much for his own good and flirts too much to be healthy, he's qualified and at least he isn't knocking on the Museum's doors looking for work. ***

—

"Miss Morgan, are you dating anyone?"

"Romance is overrated. Do you want to stay in the job or not, Mr Chase?"

He's wiping on tables in the next few seconds, and she sighs. Part-time workers are a lot of hard-work, especially if they're called Chase Randall.

—

He leaves for home, because he's eighteen and perhaps in college, and she finally breathes in a gasp of relief. She's not sure why.

—

Aliens exist, and she befriends the Keeper at twenty-three years old. He's limping and she's hanging her washed sheets on the laundry line, and he asks if she's Mary Anning. She thinks of laughing, but her mind hurts, and suddenly, she knows she could trust him. "This is suspicious, _God_ , but okay."

—

New Zealand is a fantastic place, but then she realizes that it's Chase Randall that has the Black Energem and she thinks she might faint from the upcoming exhaustion.

"Good grief."

—

"So, yeah sure, I'll help you guys out."

—

The plastic plate is large, and she eyes the steaming food warily. Chase looks at her eagerly, an apron slung over his shoulders, and he leans on the door's frame. "Burgers—my specialty."

"You can cook?" She doesn't mean to be shocked at the revelation, but it's surprising. He doesn't look like someone who would know how to.

"Well, yeah," he says as he waits for her to take the first bite. "Everyone in my family can. Don't worry, it's at least edible."

It's delicious, and she tells him so. He beams at the praise, and she asks him if he could be an official cook of the _Dino Bite Café._

"I would love to."

—

She's sifting through report documents and looking over maps, when Keeper comes in and tells her to stop on a particular page of old articles and news clips—… _making the expedition in finding the rumoured frozen caveman to be cancelled_. "Keeper?"

"Have you tried searching for a man out of time, Dr Morgan?"

—

Sand gets into her eyes, and she rubs it away. The trail towards the cave is a few miles south of the desert, and she puts a trustworthy worker in charge of the Museum. Her map whips her wrist, and she fights against the wind to make it stay down.

"Do you think the Keeper is right? A caveman?" Chase shouts beside her, his eyes on the road as he guides the car on the trail.

"No."

They could see the mountain and the large crevice, and Chase parks the car several meters away from the mouth.

"But, he was right with you, wasn't he?"

—

There's something wrong, and she grasps at calloused hands (— _cold fingers—)_ , and says, "Hello, I'm Kendall Morgan, and it's going to be alright."

His eyes are lost (— _deep brown—_ ), "C—Cannd— … Can-del?" Icy panic takes over her, and _God_ , what's happening to her? But, she gives out a tired laugh at her name.

"Yeah, Kendall," _Miss Morgan_ , "what about yours?"

A smile pulls at his mouth, and she thinks that it looks better without the broken lines and tugs on his face. "K—K … Kouda-ah."

—

( _Will Kendall keep a secret?_ )

( _Of course._ )

( _Koda loves Kendall, too._ )

—

 **the ending was abrupt, yea, but. ... yea. i was running out of ideas.**

 ***: mary anning is a fossil hunting prodigy from the 1800s, if I remember correctly, with one of her most amazing finds is the complete skeleton of a plesiosaur—which is kendall's zoid, a complete coincidence. i just found that tidbit while researching more on mary anning, because the first time I read about her i had just been scanning my old dinosaur encyclopaedia.**

 ***: and, i have this headcanon that kendall actually reminds the keeper of mary anning, either from her prodigy-ness or because he knew that kendall is likely to bond with the plesiosaurus.**

 ****: the power rangers franchise is known for its usage of time travel, including the series, so why not?**

 ****: the time travel is different here, due to several factors, the first being the lack of energems. for changing whatever it is they changed in the past, the future is altered. and not only that, but also the characters' own family history, attitude and maybe even their years of birth (an example you can see is the comparison of the age gap between chase and kendall at the two timelines. at least, i would like to think so). the reason for that is: kendall can only go back to thirty years ago, and she was like twenty-three at that time-and the farther from the present you are, the more serious the change is going to be.**

 ****: so, in conclusion, when kendall went back in time and altered the future, the paradoxes and changes were too vast that she more or less changed the universe itself and—yeah.**

 ****: i broke myself just explaining such science. this is why you're not in the stem strand, hel.**

 *****: i'm not sure if this actually happened in the series, but it stuck to me so much that yeah.**

 **such notes, much wow. also, yes, i kind of ship chase/kendall, and i actually feel like a jerk now, but kendall/koda is the way to go. also, i'm not certain about the college courses thing and the school thing and the museum thing, so please be kind!**

 **feedback and constructive criticism is very much appreciated**


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